[ExI] fuel economy vs danger

[Stefano Vaj]

2010/4/2 spike <spike66 at att.net>:
> New federal standards for fuel economy in cars:
> http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/04/01/obama-administration-releases-new-fuel-efficiency-rules/
>
> The big talk is about how much more dangerous these tiny cars will be,
> however the criteria upon which the numbers are based seem to have at least
> two obvious systematic errors.  They go on and on about how the occupants of
> the tiny cars are more likely to die in a collision, but it looks to me like
> they fail to account for the fact that the smaller cars are slower, so they
> should not just rely on the standard 60 mph head-on into a barrier.  Perhaps
> they should equate standard modern Detroits at 60 with the future microcars
> at 45.
>
> Second, the presence of the tiny cars makes it safer for everyone who
> does not drive them.  If some drunken prole hits me while I am
> driving Mister Lincoln, she is more likely to perish, but I am less likely
> to do so, or even to suffer severe injury.  That seems like at least a
> break-even safety-wise.

Mmhhh. Here in Europe big cars invariably have a max speed of 250
km/h. OTOH, they are never driven at such speed, so that they are
often slower than small cars, their own max speed exceeding anyway the
legal limit by far, owing to traffic or road conditions.

At the same time, small cars bring around less sheer mass, but not
only are they inherently less safe for their occupants, but are also
obviously more prone to loss of controls at an equivalent speed
(wheels, brakes, etc.).

-- 
Stefano Vaj